---
title: "Theming: Customising Tool Panels"
---

Style the Filters [Tool Panel](./component-tool-panel/) and [Columns Tool Panel](./tool-panel-columns/).

## Styling the Sidebar Area

The sidebar is a tabbed container for opening and switching between tool panels. The grid exposes many theme parameters for customising the sidebar and tabbed buttons. Search "side" in the "All Parameters" section of the [Theme Builder](/theme-builder/) or use typescript autocompletion in your IDE.

```js
const myTheme = themeQuartz.withParams({
    sideBarBackgroundColor: '#08f3',
    sideButtonBarBackgroundColor: '#fff6',
    sideButtonBarTopPadding: 20,
    sideButtonSelectedUnderlineColor: 'orange',
    sideButtonTextColor: '#0009',
    sideButtonHoverBackgroundColor: '#fffa',
    sideButtonSelectedBackgroundColor: '#08f1',
    sideButtonHoverTextColor: '#000c',
    sideButtonSelectedTextColor: '#000e',
    sideButtonSelectedBorder: false,
});
```

To create effects beyond what is possible with theme parameters, use CSS selectors:

```css
.ag-side-button.ag-selected {
    text-shadow: 0 0 8px #039;
    font-weight: 500;
}
```

{% gridExampleRunner title="Tool Panel Area Styling" name="tool-panel-tabs"  exampleHeight=450 /%}

## Styling the Columns Tool Panel

The `--ag-column-select-indent-size` CSS Variable sets the indent of each column group within the columns tool panel. For further customisation, use CSS selectors.

This example demonstrates changing the child indent for grouped columns and the style of the column drop component in the Row Groups area:

```js
const myTheme = themeQuartz.withParams({
    columnSelectIndentSize: 40,
    columnDropCellBackgroundColor: 'purple',
    columnDropCellTextColor: 'white',
    columnDropCellDragHandleColor: 'white',
    columnDropCellBorder: { color: 'yellow', style: 'dashed', width: 2 },
});
```

```css
.ag-column-drop-cell {
    box-shadow: 0 0 4px purple;
}
/* The different sections within the columns tool panel use
   flex sizing to adapt to vertical space, use min-height
   and max-height to constrain their heights */
.ag-column-drop-vertical-rowgroup {
    min-height: 120px;
}
.ag-column-drop-vertical-aggregation {
    min-height: 90px;
}
```

{% gridExampleRunner title="Columns Tool Panel" name="column-tool-panel"  exampleHeight=450 /%}
